Bill and Jen's Adventures: Ripon Cathedral

I am taking a history of Yorkshire class and have learned a lot about the history of the English churches. The Cistercian monks came over from France with the Norman occupation and worked in the newly established York Minster. Well, many of them didn't like the way things were set up, so they picked up their things and left York for a tiny village called Ripon. Some of them started building Fountains Abbey, and others started work on Ripon Cathedral.

Bill and I visited Fountains Abbey when we were here for our friend's wedding, but I hadn't visited Ripon cathedral. Ripon, by the way, is the city the folks in Downton Abbey always say they're going for a day visit.

The impressive front and side views of the cathedral made me happy I took the afternoon visit.

Ripon cathedral - side view

Ripon cathedral - front view

I showed up right when a bus load of Iowan choral members arrived, so I was treated to a lovely 30 minute musical session. I recorded a few samples of their singing, and will attempt to post one in a subsequent post. The photo below is in the main hall, from back to front, so you can see the back of the choral members as well as the giant stained glass window.

Main hall - view from back to front

Bill always reminds me to look up when we visit historic landmarks. So his voice was with me (even though he had to work this particular day), and not only did I look up, but the ceiling was so beautiful, I just had to take a photo of it.

Main hall ceiling

The stained glass was beautiful. The reason the stained glass was used so heavily back in the day was so that they could teach the bible stories to the illegitimate masses who could not read. Makes perfect sense, but I just had never realized that until my teacher explained that to us. The next photos are two good examples of the stained glass windows in Ripon.

Stained glass tryptic

Single stained glass window

My teacher also explained how handful of really big, old churches like Ripon cathedral, York minster, Westminster Abbey, etc. survived Henry VIII's dissolution of the church (you know, because he wanted to divorce his no-longer child-bearing wife so that he could marry the young hottie, Anne Boylen). Basically, he picked a few he wanted spared, and replaced all of the clergy with people he could trust. All of the rest of the churches, abbeys, etc. were torn down.

Once you pass through the main hall, you enter the Choral room. This room was much more ornate, as it was where all the clergy, nuns, monks, etc. stood for service. And when I say stood, I mean they stood. Along the side walls there are little, carved half-seats called miserichords. The older clergymen were allowed to stand at a miserichord so they could slouch a little and rest their bums on the half-seat.

Check back soon to learn more about Ripon cathedral, miserchords, and... Alice in Wonderland?!?! :-)